Borders campaign spells out policy

ANYONE seeking to enter Australia by illegal boat passage will never settle here.

That is the message being sent out by the federal government in its NO WAY: You will not make Australia home campaign.

The Vietnamese community is among 12 being targeted because of the number of people telling their offshore relatives it is safe to travel to Australia illegally by boat.

A spokeswoman for the Immigration and Border Protection Minister Scott Morrison said that under Operation Sovereign Borders, it was the practice of the government to intercept any vessel that was seeking to illegally enter Australia and safely remove it from our waters.

"People who travel to Australia by boat without a visa will not end up in Australia; they will be sent for processing in Nauru or Papua New Guinea," she said.

"They won't be able to work and could be waiting a long time for their claim to be processed."

The government urges the community to distrust people smugglers.

"Don't risk the safety of your family and friends by paying people smugglers," the spokeswoman said.

"Even if they are accepted as refugees, they will not be settled in Australia."

The spokeswoman said people wanting to travel to Australia are urged to do so lawfully by applying for a visa.

"Asylum seekers are still processed for permanent settlement in Australia if they migrate through the humanitarian, skilled worker or family migration programs," the spokeswoman said.

"People who migrate to Australia lawfully are given priority when sponsoring their family to come to Australia."